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Now that I'm finally down to a stable blood pressure I can now objectively comment on the lack of movement from the Padres at the deadline.
I honestly don't get it. For four months, this team has underperformed. They've played below 500 after a 10-5 start. Injuries have exposed the lack of depth created after pillaging the farm system in the off season. Even then, the Padres had an envious amount of valuable talent in which they could move to restock the farm and possibly reload the major league team.
Instead they sat on their hands, making zero high profile moves. Industry insiders claim that gm Preller was asking for way too much in return, and that, as confirmed later on by the team in an attempt to spin the non movement, belief that the club can still win out.
So they foolishly think a club who's been losing for 60% of the season can still turn it around? Great. Why didn't they bother to add top big club? You mean to tell me there were no deals available to add a shortstop, second baseman, third baseman or centerfielder? None?
And even then,the daft thinking behind their belief brings great fear of what the future holds for this ballclub. The Padres are losing one starting pitcher to free agency in each of the next three offseasons. Ian Kennedy this fall, Andrew Cashner the next, and Tyson Ross after 2017. No, none of those guys are true difference makers, but they're quality, Ross and Cashner more so, 2 to 4 starters who have real value and whom the Padres have no prospects to replace when they depart. They can soften the blow by exploiting this year's pitching market in the offseason, since the market will be heavily overcrowded with arms. But with so much money tied into Kemp, Shields, Kimbrel, Gyorko and Melvin Upton's corpse, does a mid market team really have the financial resources to replace two or more starting pitchers? Maybe they could move some names in the offseason, but the Padres biggest trade strength is their pitching. Teams are less likely to give up quality in a trade if they can acquire comparable valuable via free agency while keeping their farm system in tact.
The even bigger issue is the everyday lineup. The Padres, as I stated, lack 4 everyday regulars going into next year as well as right now. 2 of those, center and short, are two of the three most important positions on the diamond. They couldn't have flipped anybody to at least nab some league average regulars to plug in there this year or next? Even more than the pitching, there's a giant, gaping hole in the lineup with no readily, realistically available fix in sight. Teams aren't going to be so willing and desperate in the offseason when everybody is on the market scouring for talent. The deadline was a prime opportunity for Preller to expose other teams' willingness to overpay for rentals and Preller missed the boat.
My biggest gripe here is the rumor Preller overpriced his available talent. I get the idea is to ask for the moon and settle for less. But to be so daft as to think you have complete bargaining power despite other teams,like the Tigers, A's etc, having similar or better goods they openly wanted to move is a gross overestimating of the actual talent of your roster and a clear overconfidence in oneself. I believe whole heartedly Preller is buying into his own hype as this rock star, mad man gm who can swing any move at any time. Apparently not. And by sitting on his ass as July 31 came and went, he's left with, worst case scenario, a 1st round draft pick for Upton in God know what slot, best case scenario, waiver wire August deals that will likely net far less value as well as limit the market since any team,in contention or not, can claim a player with no intention of acquiring them or working out a deal.
I miss Jed Hoyer honestly. He has the nads to admit his teams aren't built for the postseason and tears down and moves assets accordingly. My team's gm would rather deny defeat and push the team into further mediocrity for another handful of years.
Oh to be a Padres fan.
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